Survival
by Code LJ
Summary: What's a girl to do? Between an amorous sheik, being hunted by Zartan, and Flint's insecurity, Lady Jaye does what she has to do to survive!  Rated M for some suggestive scenes.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but two dogs and sometimes, when he feels like it, a cat._

_Author's Note: I tried to keep most of the chapters shorter (it is a 33 page story!), but some run long that are more "action filled." I hope you enjoy! Please read and review!_

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><p>Lady Jaye was in a foul mood. Green eyes flashing and muttering curses in several different languages, she made her way back to her quarters she shared with Scarlett and Cover Girl. She could not believe the nerve that Flint had shown in their latest meeting! Her mission was to go under cover as a member of a royal harem for a sheik who had asked for protection for his family and his oil fields from Cobra. Mr. "Think He Knows Everything" had protested, saying that he thought another agent should get the job, not her! When Duke had questioned him, he merely said he thought that a harem was not the right place for her to be. Jaye had turned glaring eyes on Flint, asking in a clipped voice, what exactly he meant by that? He had just shrugged and adopted some macho attitude about female agents and in this case, wouldn't a male agent be more appropriate?<p>

She couldn't believe that he had embarrassed her in front of the team like that! First, he had insulted her skill, then when he had blustered on, she realized it all stemmed down to jealousy. She had started fuming, though, when he had implied that she could not cut it to be part of a harem. "Look at her," he had told Duke. "She is so unlike the type of women you see in those places, how is she going to blend in?"  
>He must've realized what he was saying, or the look he got from Duke silenced him, or maybe it was the silent gasp that went through the room. Whatever it had been, it spurred Lady Jaye to stand up, look at Duke and all assembled, (with the exception of Flint), and announce she would be ready to meet with the sheik when he arrived in an hour. With as much dignity and grace she could muster, she walked out of the room and closed the door firmly behind her.<p>

She wasn't sure what she was more embarrassed about - the sympathetic looks she had gotten from the others attending the meeting or the fact that Flint had basically said she was unskilled and unattractive. He had better not come to her apartment to say goodbye, or she might be facing a court martial for killing the guy! She almost wanted him to come see her just so she could slam the door in his face! She felt she had shown great restraint by not slamming the door in the conference room.

Instead, she slammed into her apartment and started going through her closet, muttering under her breath. It was a shame Scarlett and Cover Girl were both out on assignments. She could've used a sounding board as well as someone she could vent to about the stupidity of men! She moved aside her BDUs and reached into the back of her closet where she stored her civilian clothes. Finally, she found a few items she was looking for and pulled them out, along with a suitcase. She had seen photos of the sheik and he was a young, attractive man who was raised in Middle-Eastern tradition. As such, knowing the customs of the land, she found the more conservative outfits that would cover both exposed arms and legs. She also packed a few practical clothes as well for when she was in the privacy of her own room. While her cover would be that of a European woman joining the harem, she dressed in the burqaa of an Islamic woman to travel. Although there was always an ongoing debate about how women were treated in the Islamic world, Jaye found it easy to adapt to and respect the traditions of others. It was a little romantic that the women would not display themselves for anyone but their husbands, she thought.

Looking into the mirror and gazing into her own green eyes, the only thing visible in the black outfit, she wondered about Flint's statement about not being attractive enough to join the harem. Did he really think that way about her? When they first started becoming more serious about their relationship, he had always been tender and attentive. Nowadays, it seemed that they fit in any sexual activity when they could, and often, he would roll over and go to sleep afterwards, while she would lie there awake. She sighed. Maybe whatever they had was gone, or maybe he was just taking advantage of her. Whatever it was, she was glad for the break. Maybe with her gone, he might appreciate her a little more. Then again, she shrugged at her image, maybe not. Whatever was going on, there would be a change when she returned. She would see to that. If Mr. Jealousy couldn't get himself under control and show a little more respect and act like he loved her, the way he said he did, then he might be kissing concrete for awhile!


	2. Chapter 2

Jaye finished packing any accessories she would need and quietly left the apartment. She gave the MPs a start when she walked out of the barracks. She grinned behind her mask. Let them have a little culture, she thought to herself. Ever since 9/11, she hated the bias some people had towards Muslims and Arabs in general. The actions of a few certainly don't represent the actions of many, she thought to herself.

She met Duke in his office. She could tell he was a little taken aback by her outfit, but grinned into her green eyes. "Figured it was you," he said. "No one else I know can completely submerge into another culture. It's quite a talent," he complimented, smiling at her. She nodded her head, smiling under the veil, but wondering if he was paying her the compliment because of Flint's words, or because he meant it.

Stop it! she ordered herself. He has you second guessing everything! There will be a long talk when I get back, she told herself. I'm tired of dealing with this shit.

"You okay?" Duke questioned. "I think your brain must be going a thousand miles an hour. I have to say, you have very expressive eyes." He shook his head after staring at her for a moment, then said gruffly, "The sheik's plane is due to arrive in 10 minutes. We'll be meeting him on the tarmac. Roadblock and Gung Ho will be joining you as well as your personal bodyguards. They've been briefed on the situation. Granted," he chuckled, "they won't quite be as invisible as you, but we figure they can play the hired goons."

Jaye took off her veil and went over the mission specs with Duke one last time. She was laughing at something he said when Flint walked into the room. Duke audibly groaned. "It's not a good time," he began, trying to avoid the conflict he knew was coming. He couldn't believe how Flint how mouthed off in front of the others in the meeting, and had told him as much after everyone had left. At least he had the brains to look ashamed of himself. Duke didn't know what it was that always had Flint saying the wrong thing to Lady Jaye. He wished the man would have more confidence when it came to her. She was a great person and excellent at what she did. Flint would lose her if he kept carrying on this way, and he had told him as much.

Seeing the look in Duke's eyes when the door opened, Jaye quickly covered herself with her veil before turning around. She could tell it wasn't Roadblock or Gung Ho, like he had expected.

"Oh, sorry," apologized Flint politely to the woman in black. "I didn't know you had company."

"It helps to knock," Duke said harshly.

Jaye kept her eyes downcast so Flint wouldn't recognize her. No need to go into things now, especially with Duke present. It would only make it worse. She had nothing to say to him and the longer he stood there, the angrier she became. Wisely, she kept her mouth shut.

"Um, sorry to disturb, ma'am, Duke," said Flint uncomfortably and shut the door.

Duke sighed. "Okay, let's head out to the tarmac before there are any more interruptions."

Jaye merely nodded, and kept her head down as they silently walked through the hallways.

As they waited on the tarmac, Duke sighed again. "Far be it that I give out any kind of relationship advice, but…." he paused and ran his hand through his blonde hair. "Well, I think you and Flint need to sit down and have a talk when you get back."

"I had planned on that," Jaye said absentmindedly, watching the sky for the sheik's plane.

"He's my best friend and all, but he has that foot-mouth disease…somedays when he opens his mouth, in goes his foot," Duke tried to joke.

Jaye just nodded her head. She turned and looked at Duke, her green eyes serious. "I know you are his best friend and I think it's nice that you're trying to help him but," she sighed, "he's going to have to figure things out on his own or he'll always be this way." She bit her lip under the veil. She wasn't sure how comfortable she felt divulging to Duke about her relationship with Flint. She knew Duke meant well and if he could apologize for his friend, he would.

She was trying think of something else to say in the awkward moment when the sound of a plane made them both look up. As the plane taxied on the runway, Gung Ho and Roadblock joined them.

"Hey ho, you ready to go?" announced Roadblock as he came upon the pair. "Oh, sorry, ma'am," he addressed to Lady Jaye, not recognizing her in the burqaa.

She smiled and took off her veil and smiled at her two "bodyguards."

"It's me," she said simply, earning a look of shock from both burly guys.

"Wow, I would've never guessed…" began Gung Ho, but was interrupted by the plane braking in front of them. Jaye quickly fastened her veil over her face as the door opened and the sheik, in full regalia, stepped out of the plane and down the steps that had appeared in front of him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Duke!" the sheik greeted as he clasped Duke's hand. "It's good to see you again!" He nodded at Gung Ho and Roadblock and then focused on Lady Jaye.

"Is this the lovely flower I am honored to add to my family?" he asked with a charming smile.

Jaye nodded her head, making sure not to meet his eyes.

"I am impressed," the sheik addressed to Duke. "Very few American women would know the customs of my country. You will do well in our household," he said to Lady Jaye. "However, since we are not in my country as of yet, we will forgo the formality for now. If you please, I would love to see your face," he nodded at Jaye.

She slowly removed her veil and the sheik smiled, pleased. He turned to Duke. "I could have not asked for a better representative of your team. You are very lovely, my dear," he again addressed Jaye, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips.

Flint watched from the hangar, frowning. Shipwreck came up behind him and clasped him on the shoulder. "Tough luck there, Flint. Looks like Lady Jaye has a fan in the sheik."

Flint growled a response that was unintelligible. Shipwreck grinned and decided to bury the knife a little deeper. "It's a shame you royally pissed her off before leaving for the mission. Looks like the sheik will take your place if you're not careful. Hope you made your apologies before leaving," he smirked, nodding at the plane where the sheik had hold of Lady Jaye's arm and was helping her in the plane, followed by an amused Gung Ho and Roadblock.

Flint turned and glared at Shipwreck, who tried to look innocent, before he angrily stalked away. Good, chuckled Shipwreck. Let him stew for awhile. He didn't like what Flint had implied during the meeting this afternoon and had been shocked that he hadn't had his head bitten off by Lady Jaye. He was impressed with her control because had it been him, Flint would've been knocked out cold on the floor. She had plenty of admirers waiting in the wings that would gladly step in if she were to throw Flint overboard – himself, included!

On the plane, Jaye was enjoying her discussion with the sheik, who had insisted she call him Amir when they were together. He told her she would be called "Jameela," which meant "beautiful." Gung Ho and Roadblock snickered in the back where they were sitting. Jaye glared at them and they got quiet.

"Looks like Jaye's chalked up another admirer," grinned Gung Ho, speaking softly to Roadblock. "I'm sure it'll go over well with Flint!"

"Haven't you heard? I've been told that Lady Jaye is free as a bird! Flint was jealous a little much and it seems that he has lost his touch!" Roadblock rhymed.

"Are you serious?" Gung Ho was wide-eyed. "Well, that puts a spin on things. You think she's ready to move on?" he asked, watching the couple ahead of them.

Roadblock shrugged.

"Man," Gung Ho whispered again. If what Roadblock said was true, he could see several of his teammates lining up to date the covert ops specialist. She had a bit of a fiery temper, but she was easy on the eyes and fun to hang out with. Of course, they'd have to deal with Flint, he mused. Wonder how that will go down?

Jaye chuckled at something Amir said as he moved closer to her. She was enjoying the attention she was getting and was feeling decidedly female – something she hadn't felt for a long time. She knew on the plane she could enjoy the flirtation, but as soon as they landed, it would be all business.

Amir was impressed when she switched to Arabic as they discussed everything from literature to the latest movies. There was a purpose behind the conversations as the two got to know one another better. It would help Jaye's cover as well as convince the other members of the household that Jaye was selected to be a member by Amir.

Too soon, they had to divert their attention away from getting to know one another to getting to know Amir's compound. As he rolled out a map and blueprints of his property, Gung Ho and Roadblock joined them. Amir pointed out the oil fields on his property, as well as the security system already in place. Cobra had already visited him once in the form of Extensive Enterprises, a dummy corporation controlled by the terrorist group.


	4. Chapter 4

As Jaye entered the life of the harem she found blending in wasn't going to be as much of a problem as she had thought. Amir apparently had a taste for European women who he had charmed into joining his family. "Jameela" was allowed freedom around the west wing of the compound where the harem held court, but had to dress in the traditional garb of Islamic women elsewhere. She was allowed to go anywhere on the compound and at night, accompanied by her "bodyguards," she explored the oil fields and set up a defense for Amir, should he need it to defend his fields from Cobra. It was good to have Gung Ho and Roadblock on the assignment with her. They proved to be comic relief at times, not to mention handy men to have around in case of trouble! Most people were intimidated by their size and stayed clear of the trio when the two were around.

Their vigilance and patience paid off when Amir received two visitors one day after they had been there for several weeks. Tomax and Xamot, in their guise as the CEOs of Extensive Enterprises, came calling. It was not unusual for Amir to have several women on hand during meetings and he made sure to call in "Jameela" to help serve refreshments to his guests. He introduced her as one of his many wives and Jaye made sure to keep her head bowed and act in accordance to what the brothers would expect. Tomax and Xamot hardly gave her a glance, dismissing her immediately as someone unimportant.

"We once again have come to offer," began Tomax.

"for your family's oil fields," finished Xamot, opening a briefcase filled with money.

Amir looked at the suitcase with disgust. "I believe, gentlemen, we discussed this before. My family's land, and the oil wells they contain, are not for sale."

"I'm afraid you leave us no choice," Tomax said, holding up a gun.

"But to insist that you see things our way," Xamot finished, closing the case and, leaning back in his chair, kept one eye on his brother and the other on Amir.

"We tried being friendly, but you give us no choice," Xamot said in a bored tone.

"We must take things by force," Tomax said, gesturing with his gun.

Jaye silently moved behind Tomax and hit him in the back of the neck with her serving tray. As expected, both brothers went down where she was able to grab the gun and turn it on the brothers.

"I'm afraid," Amir said, standing over the two, "That you _gentlemen_ are not welcome here. You come again or bring in Cobra, it will be your death wish," he said firmly. Jaye tossed the gun to Amir, who had called his guards in to "escort" the brothers off the property.

Once they were alone, Amir surprised Jaye by grabbing her to him and giving her a brief kiss. "This, my lovely, is why you are here with me! I knew you were surely a jewel in disguise!" he gloated.

Jaye disengaged herself from the sheik as carefully as she could without offending him. While the kiss had not been unenjoyable, she had not been prepared for that type of reaction! "Unfortunately, Amir, that isn't the last we'll see of the brothers," she explained in Arabic. "I'll have to contact GI Joe immediately to bring in backup. We can set up an ambush for Cobra because, knowing their pattern, they will be attacking in the near future."

"Of course, my lovely! You do what needs to be done," he said, smiling at her.

Jaye went to her room to contact Duke and fill him in on the latest development. "They still don't know that we're here," she explained to Duke, reporting how she made sure not to reveal herself.

"Where were Gung Ho and Roadblock at this time?" asked Duke. "Why weren't they with you as backup?"

"We didn't want to reveal ourselves and it's kind of hard to disguise the two of them," Jaye laughed. "I think it's worked out pretty well. I just want to make sure we're ready for Cobra's attack."

Duke chuckled. "I think you've been there too long, Jaye. I can definitely hear an accent."

"Well, it's not been the hardest assignment, and Roadblock's even been able to have his own kitchen to cook in," she laughed. "Be nice to stay a little while longer, but…"

Even though they were thousands of miles apart, she could almost see Duke nodding his head. "We'll get you reinforcements as soon as we can. Duke out."


	5. Chapter 5

Lady Jaye, Amir, Roadblock, and Gung Ho met in Amir's office to discuss defenses until reinforcements could arrive. Jaye had changed into her BDUs and had strapped her javelins to her back. She smiled at the boys, fingering one of her javelins, and devised a plan to keep Cobra "occupied" until help arrived.

True to form, the Crimson Guard led the attack on the oil fields that evening. Amir's guards were stationed at the fields and were able to pick one or two guards off with their weapons. Knowing Cobra wouldn't want to damage the oil fields, they were using gliders and ground troops to try to secure the area. Jaye watched from her tower, smiling to herself, shaking her head. Didn't Cobra ever come up with new attack plans? She selected one of her javelin and waited for the right moment.

She had managed to take out most of the gliders by the time GI Joe arrived in force in their Dragonflies and Skystrikers. The battle was brief due to both sides being careful not to use heavy artillery around the oil fields.

Jaye helped round up the prisoners but of course, the Crimson Guard Commanders were nowhere to be found. Gung Ho looked at her, shaking his head. "I swear, they are two of the most slippery snakes….I think as soon as they saw the first man fall, the cowards were 20 miles from here!" he said in disgust.

Jaye nodded and turned to Amir, who had stayed with her during the battle. "I was most impressed by your performance, my lovely!" he exclaimed, taking her hand and pressing his lips on her palm. "I would like to talk to you about a proposal…..er, in private," he finished, looking around them at the Joes who were starting to join himself, Gung Ho, and Jaye.

Lady Jaye felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle and just knew Flint was standing behind her. She closed her eyes and prayed for patience. Knowing him, and seeing that Amir still had her hand in his, she waited for the jealous rage he always flew into when he came upon a scene like this.

Instead, he surprised her by holding his hand out to Amir, who had no choice but to let Lady Jaye's go and shake his. "It's nice to meet you, Sheik Abdul. I'm glad we could be of service to you tonight," he said, his voice sincere. He didn't spare Lady Jaye a glance.

Gung Ho covered his surprise by coughing and Lady Jaye hit him on the back several times, asking him if he was okay. "Yeah, yeah," he said, waving her away. "What the hell's up with him?" he whispered to Jaye. "I thought for sure he'd be going off!"

Jaye shrugged. She was glad he hadn't flown into a jealous rage, as he usually did, but had to wonder why, and the fact that he wouldn't look at her….

She inwardly winced, wondering what was wrong with her. When she had left headquarters, she had been ready to walk out of the relationship. Seems like Flint had made the decision for her.

She came out of her reverie when Amir announced that the entire Joe team was welcome to return to his compound for a celebration feast! This set up a round of "Yo Joes!" as they piled into the vehicles to return to the house. Jaye found herself with Amir in his car.

"Now that we are alone," Amir began, glancing at Lady Jaye, "I would like to offer a proposition. Not only are you one of the loveliest things I've seen, Jameela, but I am impressed with your prowess and intelligence. These are two things that I value in my staff. Your battle style is impressive and your ancient art of the javelin is remarkable. Please consider joining me here, on a permanent basis, as the head of my security." Jaye looked at him, stunned.

Amir continued. "While I would like to make you a permanent member of my harem," he smiled good-naturedly at her, "I would want something more lasting with you at my side. However, that will come with time," he said, holding her hand in his.

Jaye was stunned. She had been offered a position and, she thought, maybe a marriage proposal? She had really enjoyed her stay here, being part of the pampered harem, as well as the late night talks she and Amir would have until the early hours of morning on any and every topic. Being head of his security was a great honor, especially for a woman, in his world. She didn't know what to think of the other position he was possibly offering her.

"Don't answer me now, my lovely," Amir interrupted her thoughts, seeing the conflicting looks crossing Lady Jaye's face. "I know it's a lot to take in and a different way of life than you are used to, although I must say, I have been highly impressed with how adapted you have become to it. Go back to your GI Joe headquarters, but think about my offer. I will wait as long as you want me to, Jameela," he said softly.

Jaye simply nodded, not knowing what to say or how even to say it!

"We have arrived," he said, as the car stopped. "Shall we go see to the feast?"

He helped Jaye out of the car and escorted her into the hallway. "Since I know you leave soon, my lovely, I was hoping…..would you grace me with the dress you have that brings out the green in your eyes?"

Jaye smiled at Amir and nodded. She wanted nothing more than a shower at this point after the battle and time to take in his offer before she faced her teammates.


	6. Chapter 6

Entering the dining room 20 minutes later, her slightly damp hair curling around her neck, Lady Jaye caught the eyes of Roadblock.

"Wow, and what do my wondering eyes….Jaye you are surely the loveliest surprise!" he quipped, holding out his hand to lead her into the room.

Jaye actually blushed. "Thanks, Roadblock. It's pretty amazing what a shower can do!" she teased.

Amir was at her side. "Ah, my lovely, I see that you are ready to join our guests. Shall we lead them in to the feast?" He held out his arm and Jaye found herself playing the hostess, leading a group of surprised Joes into the banquet area.

Amir seated Jaye at his right and Flint, as commanding officer, at his left. Flint found it hard to not stare at Lady Jaye. She looked absolutely beautiful in the dress she was wearing. He had seen her enter the room and joke with Roadblock. He didn't like the smile she had shared with Amir, or the fact that the two seemed entirely too comfortable with one another. However, he had made a promise to Duke. In order to lead the invading force, he had to promise to control his temper, especially when it came to Lady Jaye. Duke had really hit home on his insecurities where she was concerned and encouraged him to talk to her when they returned home, to the point that Duke was granting both of them some leave time together. Flint wasn't sure what to think. Seeing the two of them together made his jaw clench, but he kept his thoughts to himself. He had caught the surprised glances of some of his teammates and had even spied money exchanging hands. He had almost lost it at that point, but instead had excused himself and rammed his fist into the exterior wall of the building. The pain was still there, but it kept him focused. Especially looking at how lovely she was tonight. He had a speech in his head of what to say to her when they first entered the banquet hall, but her appearance had left him speechless.

Jaye kept giving Flint covert glances. What was he thinking about? His jaw would clench and unclench and she had the urge to go over and rub his back and shoulders, like she used to when he was so tense. She knew she still loved him, but wasn't sure if she could handle the jealous rages anymore, nor the humiliation he had brought on her by questioning her skills.

She turned and smiled at something Amir said to her. Here was someone who not only admired her skills, but also thought of her as a beautiful woman, not just a bedmate. She inwardly sighed. She had no clue what to do and wished for her roommates to talk to about all this. Neither had been sent on Flint's team and she hoped it was because they had gotten back from their mission safe and sound, and were possibly enjoying some time off.

As the feast began to break up and the Joe team were shown their rooms for the night, Jaye excused herself for a solitary walk in the garden. She had a lot on her mind and wasn't quite ready to rest yet. Her room was still in the west wing, and the Joes' rooms would be in the east wing, which was reserved for guests.

Tomorrow she would be leaving and returning back to headquarters. Sitting on the edge of one of the fountains, she absentmindedly trailed her fingertips through the water. She felt a twinge of regret leaving this place. While she loved being part of GI Joe, she had found some contentment at Amir's compound. He treated all of his harem with respect and they had developed a special friendship and admiration between the two of them. He had worked all his life to possess what he had now. What was not to admire about that? He was well educated and possessed a great sense of humor, as well as tolerance for those things outside his world.

Jaye sighed. It was how Flint found her, sitting in the moonlight looking like a nymph from one of the Scottish tales she had read to him back in her apartment on base. He watched her from the shadows, not sure how to approach her.

Jaye looked up, sensing someone was there. Flint stepped from the shadows and just stood there, looking at her. "How long have you been there?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"Not too long," he replied. "I wasn't sure if I should disturb you or not…." his voice trailed off, feeling awkward, not sure what to say. Did she love him? he wanted to ask, or was her heart now that of the sheik's she had spent so much time with? Instead, he remained silent, simply looking at her.

Jaye got up and walked over to him. "I wanted to talk to you when we got back to base, but I guess now is as good of time as any," she began, looking past him, not wanting to meet his eyes.

She turned and looked at him. "What you said back at the base," she said, gathering courage in her words, ready for them to be said, "in the meeting….when you questioned my skill….do you really think that?"

Flint ran his hand through his hair. "No, of course not!" he finally said, but it had been a long pause, she noted. "I…well, sometimes I….dammit," he swore, looking at the ground.

She just stood there, looking at him, saying nothing. It scared the shit out of him. He was afraid he had already lost her. He wanted to grab her and just take her somewhere, anywhere, to some place where they could be together and forget about all the dumb shit he had said before.

He closed his eyes, searching for the right words. "Okay," he finally said, looking at her. "I'm an ass. I acted like one. A stupid jealous ass. Is that what you wanted to hear?" he asked, frustrated.

Jaye frowned. "I want to hear the truth. I want to hear how you really feel. Dash, I love you," she said softly, and he almost didn't catch it, "but I can't take the rages anymore, the doubt about work, the fact that you can't trust me," she finished, her voice growing stronger as she spoke.

"I DO trust you," he implored. "It's just that…."

"Forget it!" Jaye snapped, frustrated at his lack of words. Mr. English Literature couldn't find the right words or throw out a quote, as he was prone to do? Yeah, right. Whatever his problem was, he'd have to solve it before he came to her again. She said as much to him as he stood there.

"I'll see you back at the base," she finished, turning and leaving him standing there, alone.

Flint looked for another wall to punch – the fountain looked too fragile. What the hell was wrong with him? he fumed at himself. He had some major damage control and figured at this point, he would need help – female help. He hoped it wasn't too late to recruit Scarlett or Cover Girl's advice.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Sorry this is a bit of a long chapter, but I couldn't find a way to divide the action scene. Hope you enjoy!_

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><p>Flint's team returned the next morning, but Amir insisted on keeping Lady Jaye, Gung Ho, and Roadblock a bit longer and then returning them in his private plane. Duke, not wanting to offend a potentially strong ally, granted permission. He was probably better off, Flint thought. The rest of the team would be watching the two interact and placing bets. These people need to get a life, he sighed.<p>

"Have you considered my offer, Alison?" asked Amir, using Jaye's real name. "I know I said I wouldn't push but…" he smiled, squeezing her hand.

Jaye couldn't help but smile back at him. "I am still considering it. It's a big step for me. I thought joining the Joe team was what I wanted to do, but your offer is tempting," she said truthfully.

"Think about it, my lovely, on your way back. I wanted to give you three the luxury of a job well done to show my gratitude. I figured it looked much more comfortable than the aircraft your team brought in," he joked. "I also wanted to give you another day to just enjoy the life here," he said, gesturing wide with his hands. "I wouldn't mind tasting another one of Roadblock's dishes as well," he added.

Jaye did think about it on the way back to the base. She listened in amusement to Gung Ho and Roadblock's arguments over cuisine and the best part of their stay…until the plane was attacked.

The plane shook as it took a hit. Glancing outside the window, the three saw that they were surrounded by Cobra Rattlers. "Great," Gung Ho grimaced. "And me without my baby!" he said, looking towards the cargo hold which held their weapons.

"Better yet, this is not a military plane – no weapons or defenses!" Jaye frowned. "We're going to have to see what they want. Something tells me this was for Amir, not us. They must think he is on board and plan on kidnapping him for his oil fields, since their last attack didn't work. It fits their MO," she said firmly.

Roadblock swayed as the plane took another hit. "I don't know about you," he quipped, "but if this plane doesn't stop shaking, we're going to be black and blue!"

"If they don't know we're on the plane," Jaye speculated, "then they won't search for us. We need to find somewhere to hide and maybe we can surprise them."

Gung Ho looked grim. "Okay, while that is a good plan, Lady Jaye, us against," he counted the rattlers outside the window, "possibly 10 Cobra and who knows how many more aren't good odds!"

"We have to do something!" Jaye cried as the plane took another hit and started to go down.

They looked for somewhere to hide, but other than the bathroom and cockpit, there was nothing. Jaye ran to the cockpit to find out if the pilots had radioed for help, but Cobra was jamming their signal, they said. Jaye sighed. "Let me try," she said, and leaned over to radio GI Joe. The pilots were right. It was like dead airspace.

"What now?" Gung Ho asked Jaye as the plane was forced into a landing.

Jaye looked at Gung Ho. "They want a sheik, right? What if we can find some way to dress you up. I still have my burqaa…." She looked at Roadblock. "We could hide you somewhere and you could radio for help as soon as Cobra stops jamming the signal."

They quickly changed and rammed Roadblock into the bathroom, hoping that if the "sheik" and his "wife" emerged, they wouldn't feel the need to search the plane thoroughly.

As they disembarked, the Crimson twins smirked at the change of events.

"Now we," one began.

"Are in control!" the other finished.

Jaye kept her head lowered, clutching the javelin she had managed to hide under her robes. She would have to wait for the right opportunity. It had a pulse light that temporarily blinded those who looked into it and she hoped to use it to try to steal one of the Rattlers and haul tail.

"Ah, Sheik Amir," greeted Tomax snidely. "I see,"

"We meet again," the brothers chorused together.

Gung Ho kept his head lowered knowing that once the twins saw who was really under the robes, all hell would break loose. He hoped Lady Jaye was ready!

Jaye stood slightly behind the "sheik" and tapped the back of Gung Ho's foot, the signal they had agreed on.

Gung Ho whipped his weapon from his robes as Jaye threw her javelin into the air, pushing a button and letting it fly. She forced Gung Ho's head down and closed her own eyes. The javelin exploded into a bright white light, temporarily blinding the twins and their guards.

"Run!" she yelled to Gung Ho, handing him the sunglasses they had found on board. They ran to the nearest two Rattlers and climbed in.

By the time the brothers were shaking off the effects of the blinding light, they saw the Rattlers taking off. "After them!" they screamed in unison, running to their own Rattlers.

"I sure hope Roadblock patches through to somebody!" said Jaye aloud in her cockpit. The Joe team had flown Rattlers in simulations before, so that they would be familiar with one should there ever arise a time to use them – like now. Still, it was hard to steer them since the controls were so different from those of her Skystriker.

She managed to get the hang of it as the first shots were fired past the nose of her plane. It was hard to tell which plane was which and she silently wished Gung Ho good luck, determining that she would only fire upon the planes that fired on her first!

Her comlink buzzed and Jaye heard Gung Ho's voice. "You okay there, LJ?"

"Trying to be, GH!" she replied, picking up on his cue of initials. Right now, Cobra had no clue who was flying the planes and it would be best if they thought it was anyone but GI Joe!

"Snake on your tail! Let me…" Jaye heard, then felt the explosion behind her. Gung Ho pulled up beside her for a moment, and she gave him a thumbs up.

"Thanks! I don't think it's over yet!" she shouted as she swerved the plane to avoid gunfire coming from behind. "We need to get as far as possible and it's not going to be easy! We need to make sure we stay out of Libyan air space! Promise me you'll go on, no matter what happens!" she said and her plane began to gain altitude. She was hoping to maneuver so she could protect Gung Ho's flank.

"I don't leave anyone behind!" he shouted back to her. "But I get what you're saying. Take care LJ. We'd better sign off in case we're…." he began, but static crept through the line, cutting off the last part of his sentence.

Lady Jaye swore in several languages. Focusing her attention on Gung Ho's Rattler below her, she picked off another Rattler before heading into the cloud cover. Cobra wasn't stupid and would figure out what she was doing, if they hadn't already. She could see water ahead and hoped to God it was the Mediterranean. If they could just avoid the no-fly zone over Libya…..no use dealing with Cobra and creating an international incident!

She heard the blip on her screen as she was targeted by a Rattler. She performed evasive maneuvers, trying to keep half an eye on Gung Ho below, who seemed to be doing okay. Or maybe not, she surmised as she saw the tail of his plane catch fire.

"GH!" she yelled into the com, but only got static. As his plane started to spiral downwards, she put her plane into motion. She dove as she saw him eject from his plane. The Mediterranean below was rough and she prayed that he would be okay. Focused on getting Gung Ho as soon as she could, she didn't see the Rattler until too late, and her plane was riddled with enemy fire. She had no choice but to eject, like Gung Ho.


	8. Chapter 8

The phone in Duke's office buzzed. "Yes?" he asked irritably, looking at Flint who had just debriefed him on the Sheik versus Cobra mission.

He slammed the phone down without replying. "Let's go," he said gruffly to Flint. "Gung Ho and Lady Jaye are MIA."

Both men ran into the Communications Room where Breaker was busy trying to reach the missing two. He almost groaned when he saw Flint's murderous expression. When it came to Lady Jaye, he was too overzealous if something went wrong. Good thing Duke was here to hold him back!

"We received communication from Roadblock about an hour ago. Apparently, the Sheik's plane was attacked by Cobra and the Crimson twins, thinking to kidnap the Sheik. Only, the people aboard were Gung Ho, Lady Jaye, and Roadblock. Gung Ho and Lady Jaye went out in disguise as the Sheik and his wife to deter Cobra while Roadblock hid in the bathroom. They had blocked all communication, so he was only able to contact us after they left. Apparently, Jaye had an ace literally up her sleeve with a javelin which temporarily blinded the Cobra agents. She and Gung Ho took off in Rattlers to get Cobra to follow them away from the plane and discovering Roadblock, who was to contact us here when the block was lifted."

"We were able to pick up a little on Jaye's and Gung Ho's comlinks. It's not much, but here's what we have…"

He pressed a button and replayed the conversation. Avoiding looking at Flint, Breaker sighed and said, "We think they were shot down somewhere over the Mediterranean. Jaye helped us out by mentioning Libya, but I think we would've been alerted if they had invaded the airspace. My guess is it's somewhere close to Egypt or around the Greek Isles," he suggested, pulling up a map.

Duke looked grim. "We need to send a rescue team immediately. Good job, Breaker, but keep working on it. Anything we can use to narrow the search, the better."

Flint stepped forward but Duke placed a hand on his shoulder. "You just got back and are exhausted. I need you here at the base in case we run into something." Stepping closer, he added softly, "She's tough, a survivor. I'll bring her back," he reassured his friend, squeezing his shoulder. "Go get some rest and I'll keep you posted, ok?"

Flint sighed, knowing Duke was right. He just felt so guilty at how he had left things with Jaye before he had left. What if this was….he refused to think about it. He tried to smile at Duke, but failed, so instead turned away and walked out of the room.

Breaker gave a sideways look at Duke. "That was too easy," he said.

Duke shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe he's learning. Keep me posted. I need to scramble all available search and rescue." He ran through a list so Breaker could begin locating the team. "We'll be in the air in an hour," he promised. "Let me know if anything else comes through!"


	9. Chapter 9

Jaye entered the water and was immediately pulled down by her costume. She struggled to surface, but her legs became entangled in a black mass. Suddenly, she felt the material rip away and she was able to surface, gasping for breath. Gung Ho floated next to her, smiling, holding up his knife. "Not the most practical flight suit," he quipped.

She treaded water and looked around them, trying to get some sort of bearings. Gung Ho looked up and frowned. "It's too quiet up there," he muttered.

"They'll be back," Jaye said bitterly, looking at the sinking Rattlers in the distance. She spotted a wing floating towards them and pointed it out to Gung Ho. They swam towards it and grabbed hold.

"Any clue where we are?" muttered Gung Ho.

"In water," Jaye replied dryly. That warranted her a look from Gung Ho and a muttered, "Smartass."

"Well," she suggested, "we can let the tide take us to either the Greek Isles or we could end up in Egypt or Libya, I think. I'm pretty sure that was one of the last readings before we were under attack."

"Roadblock better have gotten ahold of the Joes," muttered Gung Ho.

They both heard the sound at the same time and looked in its general direction. Jaye swore. "I hope it's friendly!"

As the boat neared, they didn't see any Cobra markings and both relaxed for a moment.

A man called to them in Greek and Jaye answered. Looking at Gung Ho, she translated. "He says he saw the explosion in the sky and came to find out if everyone is all right. It might be best if you didn't speak so he'll think we're Greek and not American. Believe it or not, there are a lot of terrorists living around Greece these days and we can't be too careful," she warned.

Gung Ho merely nodded. He trusted Jaye on this because he knew this was part of her job, knowing these things.

The man threw down a ladder and the two climbed aboard the fishing vessel. Jaye covertly looked for any telltale markings that this was a cover but couldn't see anything at first glimpse. She did notice the gash on Gung Ho's leg and asked the Greek for bandages to wrap it. He nodded, disappearing into the captain's helm, returning in a moment with a cloth. Jaye took care of Gung Ho's wound, much to his embarrassment. She warned him with her eyes to remain quiet. When the Greek began to address Gung Ho, Jaye told him, in Greek, that her brother was deaf and dumb from an accident. He seemed to accept that and continued to talk to Jaye in Greek. Gung Ho knew he didn't have to pretend to be confused.

When the Greek disappeared into the captain's helm again, Jaye quickly filled Gung Ho in, using French, a language the Cajun was all too familiar with. "He says he will take us to the nearby island and we can find passage by ferry to the mainland. I don't think he's a fisherman, but I'm not letting that on, ok? I think he'll get us there okay, but not sure what his price will be when we arrive. I'll see what I can negotiate with him," she murmured, stopping when she saw the Greek leave his place at the helm.

Lady Jaye and the Greek discussed a few more things and he became expressive, raising his arms and gesturing madly. Jaye answered in a stern voice and made some gestures of her own. Gung Ho hoped that she had the upper hand.

The Greek looked frightened for a moment, then, glancing at Gung Ho, he turned and pointed at the land they could see ahead of them and made another gesture. Gung Ho had no idea what he was going on about.

Jaye spoke to the Greek sharply again and produced a knife and waved it around. The Greek cowered and moved back to the helm to steer the boat into the dock. He didn't leave the helm again, only casting anxious glances at the couple.

When Gung Ho got up, he found his leg stiff and hard to walk on. Jaye tried to support as much of his weight as possible, but knew they would not go very fast. She looked around and found something for a makeshift crutch, handing it to him.

As the boat docked, the Greek gestured, but Jaye had him silent and still as she barked a few more things at him. She led Gung Ho off the ship and turned to warn the Greek in a low, threatening voice. The Greek's eyes went wide and he quickly pulled his boat out of port.

Jaye chuckled.

"Mind letting me in on the joke?" Gung Ho asked, confused, trying to use as much of the crutch as possible to support his weight on his left side.

"I let him believe we were associates of one of the Greek mobsters that live on this island. When he told me the name, I remembered reading the file on it. Our rescuer was actually a low level gun runner and doesn't want to be on the wrong side of the family. However, we'd better get moving since I don't want it leaked to our so called benefactor and be dealing with him. Nasty stuff," she said, giving Gung Ho a sideways glance. "We need to change our appearance."

She decided it best to stash Gung Ho somewhere. He attracted too much attention with his size and inability to speak the language. She needed to find something that would help them both blend in.


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's Note: It's a longer chapter than some of the others, but didn't want to break up the action! Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

><p>"This is the area where we think they might have gone down," Lifeline shouted over the rotors of the 'copter to Duke, who nodded, looking down. He pressed his comlink closer to his ear and asked, "See anything Deep Six?"<p>

"That's a negative, Duke," replied Deep Six from his vehicle which was searching below the wreckage of the Rattlers they had spotted from the air. "There are sharks in this area, but nothing that would indicate that they've eaten recently," he said bluntly.

Duke flinched. "Thanks," he answered dryly. "Good to note."

Lifeline looked at Duke. "If he's not seeing any evidence of them, it could be that they were either picked up by Cobra or someone else."

Duke nodded. He looked at Dusty, who was pouring over a map of the area. "Where would the tide take them? Better yet, if they were picked up, where's the closest place they'd be?"

Dusty frowned. "There are a lot of small islands in the region. Chances are good that if they were picked up, they'd be taken to one of them. Does Lady Jaye speak Greek?" he asked Duke, looking up.

Duke chuckled. "What _doesn't_ she speak? I'm pretty sure that's one of hers. We know she can blend into any situation. It's Gung Ho I'm worried about. He'll stick out like a sore thumb! It could be she has some contacts in this area," Duke said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Hopefully she can reach them and be able to report home. Let's just hope they're not with Cobra."

* * *

><p>Jaye had managed to find some clothes for herself and though it took awhile, she found something for Gung Ho. They needed to get on the next ferry off the island, but she wasn't sure what they were going to do for money. She frowned. She'd rather not rob anyone at knifepoint, but it seemed like the only alternative, until she spotted the bar. She smiled, and hustled back to Gung Ho to get him into his new clothes.<p>

"You're going to do _what_?" Gung Ho asked, incredulous.

"Shh!" Jaye warned. "Look, it's really the only legal alternative to our cash flow problem. I'd rather not have you pimp me out," she joked, making Gung Ho nearly choke on the water she had brought him.

Helping him up and handing him his makeshift crutch, she led him back to the bar. After a brief conversation in Greek, the owner nodded and gestured towards the raised platform at the corner of the bar. Jaye winked at Gung Ho, who was seated at a table and walked to the platform. All talking ceased as eyes turned on her. Jaye had adjusted her blouse so that it showed a bit of cleavage and had cut a slit in her skirt. Gung Ho had to admit she looked pretty damn sexy and apparently wasn't the only one who thought that. However, once she began to sing, he was mesmerized. He had no idea she had a voice like that and even though the song was in Greek, he could feel the emotion in it. She had the whole place spellbound. Her next song was a little more upbeat and apparently a traditional favorite as she got the whole bar to join in singing with her.

At last, after several more songs, she stepped off the platform amid cheers and catcalls and walked to the bar. The owner gave her a big smile and said a few words in Greek which had Jaye laughing. She accepted the money he handed her, stuffed it in her pocket, and walked over to Gung Ho.

"Ready?" she said softly to him, helping him up. As the two left the bar, Jaye kept getting stopped by the men who had listened to her, but she merely smiled, said a few words, and moved on. A look from Gung Ho also had men moving to the side to let them through. He smirked down at them as they left.

Jaye pressed her finger to her lips as Gung Ho started to speak, shaking her head. She led him back down to the docks and they boarded the last ferry of the evening. They were surrounded by tourists who were speaking many different languages, and they were able to relax and speak once again in French.

"What the hell was that?" Gung Ho asked, his voice incredulous. "Why the hell are you with GI Joe when you can sing like _that_?"

Jaye laughed, patting the Cajun on the arm. "I'm a woman of many talents," she teased him. "It got us the money without having to commit any crimes," she shrugged, turning to look out at the water.

"I have a contact on the mainland, if we can get to him," she said softly to Gung Ho. "Once there, we can probably contact…home. I hope our other friend is doing okay," she said, thinking of Roadblock.

Gung Ho put an arm around Lady Jaye. "I'm sure he is, he's a tough guy. I think we distracted and shocked the hell enough out of them, the stupid twins probably were right on our tail, not thinking about what they left behind," he chuckled.

She looked up at the sky and wondered if the Joes were even now searching for them, not to mention Cobra. She was surprised that they had gotten this far without seeing so much as a glimpse of them. Why hadn't they come around and tried to capture them? Even if they were still thinking they were the sheik and his wife, or even if they knew they had been tricked, it was unusual for Cobra to let them drift in the water like that. In fact, after shooting them down, she was trying to remember if they were still looming over them. They were also lucky that they hadn't had sharks surrounding them, considering Gung Ho's leg.

She shared her thoughts with Gung Ho, who couldn't figure it out either. They stood there in silence for awhile.

"After you went down," Gung Ho confessed, "I let myself be dragged down with you, once I realized what the problem was. Maybe they thought we both had drowned or been shark bait."

Jaye shivered at the thought. She was sure there were worst fates than being eaten alive, attacked by sharks, but she couldn't bring any to mind at the moment.

"We were lucky," she murmured softly. She looked on the horizon as the mainland loomed ahead. Touching Gung Ho's arm, she nodded in that direction. "We're going to have to find a way to hide you again. I'm afraid my contact's a little jumpy and he doesn't take well to people he doesn't know. Kind of a shoot and ask questions later type of guy," she apologized. "He's good, but he doesn't trust easily."

"Will you be okay?" asked Gung Ho, concerned.

She smiled. "I'll be fine. You forget, this is my element," she joked. "I just hope he's there," she said softly to herself. It had been awhile and he had been one of her MI-6 contacts in her previous life, before GI Joe.

Once they disembarked the ferry, she led Gung Ho to a local tourist spot that she knew would be filled with Americans and other visitors. She gave him several Euros she had left and encouraged him to blend in as a tourist.

"If I'm not back in a couple of hours," she warned him, "you need to contact the American Embassy. Go to the local police station and make a scene. They'll make sure you're kicked out of the country," she said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Will you be all right?" he asked, concerned by her advice.

"Of course," she smiled, and squeezed his arm. "You take care of yourself and your leg," she said in way of a goodbye.

He watched her walk off before he turned his attention to an American tour group. Blend in, he shrugged, and went and hung out on the fringes of the group.


	11. Chapter 11

"They've been here," sneered Zartan, throwing the body of the Greek gunrunner over the side of the boat. "He gave them a ride after rescuing them from the ocean. Guess he thought he'd hold them for ransom, until the lady apparently implied she was affiliated with the local mafia. The man had a hurt leg, he said. He gave them a ride to the local island then he doesn't know what happened from there. I think you're dealing with a couple Joes," he said into his phone.

"Good job," said the voice through the line.

Another joined in, "for tracking them down. Where are you now?"

Zartan sighed and rolled his eyes. This conference call was annoying. If he had his way, he'd never report to the brothers, but money was money, he shrugged.

"It sounds to me like it's one of the muscle guys, maybe Roadblock or Gung Ho. Since he didn't mention skin color, I'd say it was Gung Ho. I'm pretty sure the woman with him was Lady Jaye," continued Zartan. "I'll contact you when I know more," he lied. No need to give himself a headache with every lead. He got his money dead or alive, so he'd rather just deal with it his way.

"Is the rescue team," began one.

"Still in the area?" finished the other.

Zartan hung up. If the brothers wanted to find out more, they'd either have to get off their ass and do something, or pay more, he chuckled. He didn't like giving out free information. He glanced over to where the Joes had docked on the small island. Zartan had taken the guise of a local fisherman and was slowly bringing his boat in at the end of the day. Nice and normal. He didn't want to do anything to draw attention to himself at this juncture. He'd keep an eye on the Joes, but doubted the two missing ones would've stayed on the island. There was no communications, no transportation to take them back to their headquarters. Knowing Lady Jaye, she had blended into the scene well, but he wasn't so sure about the former Marine. He stood out no matter where he went and had a mouth to match. He was of no consequence to Zartan. However, he rather liked tracking the female, Lady Jaye. She was good at what she did. He was better, of course, but she at least would make it interesting for him. He smiled, anticipating the hunt.

* * *

><p>Jaye retraced the route she had used years ago, the last time she had used this contact. She sweet talked a man into letting her borrow the house phone at a motel and dialed the number from memory. She did the usual pattern of two rings, hangup, three rings, hangup. By the third time she called, she got a gruff answer on the fourth ring.<p>

Jaye used the greeting they had set up years ago and there was a pause on the phone.

"I thought you were out of the business," the man spoke in Greek. "Maybe dead."

"Guess my ghost likes to haunt you then," she answered in the same language. She looked around to make sure no one was listening. "I need to meet with you. I need an exit pass for two with some hardware."

There was a long pause on the phone and she could imagine her contact fiddling with his keys, the way he always had when he was uncomfortable. She heard a soft jingle and tried not to laugh. Some things never change.

He finally gave her directions and agreed to meet in an hour. Jaye decided to head there now to scout out the place first, just to be sure. Her friend could be trigger happy. It was always decidedly gray which side he worked for, having no loyalty to anyone but himself. She often suspected it was whatever one who offered him the most money.

Jaye didn't like the look of the place. There were too many shadows and crevices for snipers. It also didn't "feel" right. Sighing, she found what she thought was the best possible view and settled in to wait for her contact to arrive.


	12. Chapter 12

Flint banged his fist on the table. "What do you mean they lost the trail?" he asked angrily.

Roadblock reached out to calm his friend. "You have to have faith, my friend. Things always come out right at the end."

Flint knew his friend was trying to help, but he still glared at him. "Apparently, they tracked them to an island outside of Greece, but no one seems to remember anyone with Gung Ho's description. Well, there was a big guy traveling with a woman, but she was a bar singer, apparently a good one by the owner's description. Lady Jaye doesn't sing," he said firmly. "So it's another dead end."

Scarlett looked up to where she was studying the maps. "What do you mean she doesn't sing? You've never heard her sing?" she asked, incredulous.

She ignored Flint's dark look and continued. "She doesn't like to brag about it, but she was up for an award for some musical she was in, back in London," Scarlett shrugged. "I've never heard her sing other than sometimes in the shower, but from what I understand, she's professional quality. I think she's on the cast album for whatever musical it was. I think you need to contact Duke and tell him to follow that lead, especially if the guy sounds like Gung Ho."

Scarlett pointed to a place on the map. "I bet you anything they went to the mainland. The island they're on, it's traditional. They're not going to find a way home nor any high tech communication device unless they visit the local mafia, and I don't think Jaye has any contacts with that bunch. In fact, I'm sure she got the hell off that island as fast as she could," Scarlett speculated. "There's probably a ferry that runs from that island. Duke needs to find out if there was an evening ferry that would've been after the time of the bar show. That'll answer their question. Of course, on the mainland, they could be anywhere…."

Flint radioed Duke and fed him the information from Scarlett. It took only 30 minutes for Duke to call back and confirm what Scarlett had said.

"Any sign of Cobra?" Flint asked, looking at Scarlett who was frowning at the maps.

"None so far," replied Duke, "but that doesn't mean much. Doesn't mean they're not searching. According to Roadblock, he's not sure whether they ever figured out that the sheik and his wife were really Lady Jaye and Gung Ho. Either way, I'd be surprised if they weren't searching for them as well. Let's hope we get to them first. Duke out."

* * *

><p>Gung Ho sighed. He was tired of trailing after this group and his leg was hurting. He didn't want to leave since this was the only place he knew of to meet Lady Jaye again, but he was bored and grumpy and frankly, a little worried. She had said give her a few hours, and that time hadn't passed yet, but he hadn't liked her going off on her own. Call him chauvinistic, but he felt <em>he<em> should be protecting _her_, not her going off to find some guy that she wasn't sure was even alive anymore! He knew she had more experience in this area but dammit, it wasn't right, he thought angrily.

A movement to his right captured his attention. Was that…..no, it couldn't be, but…he wasn't sure whether he should show himself just yet. It could be a Cobra trick trying to ferret them out. It looked like Duke, but what would he be doing here? He couldn't imagine Duke on a rescue mission, even if Roadblock's message had gotten through. Another man joined him and Gung Ho realized it was Lifeline. Now _that_ was a person he could imagine on a rescue mission! There would be no way Cobra would imitate two of them, would it? Gung Ho knew that Zartan was a master of disguise, but he was only one man. As he watched Duke frown, he figured it had to be him. He would have to trust his gut. Gung Ho got up and moved into Lifeline's line of sight.

Lifeline was talking to Duke and stopped mid-sentence. Was that Gung Ho? Duke turned to look in the direction Lifeline was staring.

"Looks like we found one of the lost lambs," he said into his commlink. Gung Ho hobbled over to the two, using his makeshift crutch. Lifeline studied him and assessed his injury. He turned to Duke. "His left leg is bothering him, possibly an infection from a wound."

Duke nodded. He smiled at his teammate. "You're a sight for sore eyes," he said, giving Gung Ho a slap on the back. He looked around. "Where's your partner?"

Gung Ho frowned. "I figured if you found me here, she would be with you. She's supposed to be meeting with one of her contacts to get us out of here."

Lifeline intervened. "Let's get that leg treated. It looks like it's pretty painful."

Gung Ho winced as he took a misstep. "Yeah, but what about Jaye? I'm supposed to be meeting her here. She said give her a couple of hours. It's almost been that, but not quite."

Duke nodded at Lifeline. "I'll stay and meet with her," he said to Gung Ho. "Did she give you any other instructions or tell you who this contact is or where she was meeting him?"

"No," Gung Ho frowned. "Only that he was skittish and she had to approach him alone. I didn't like her going out on her own, but I was only slowing her down."


	13. Chapter 13

Jaye waited in the shadows for her contact. He wasn't one of her reliable ones, but unfortunately, he was all she had at this point. She was pretty sure that Cobra would be looking for them, even with Gung Ho's explanation of their near drowning. It always paid to be paranoid, it kept you more alert to all the possibilities, she thought.

She heard footsteps approaching and frowned. Her contact would not be that audible. She shrank back into the shadows and waited, hardly daring to breathe.

A man stepped into her vision. She didn't recognize him, but she knew immediately he was not to be trusted. It was not her contact. He looked similar to him, but his mannerisms were different. This was not the man she had talked to on the phone. _She had been set up._

She knew exactly who it was. It had to be Zartan, hired by Cobra to find them. She silently cursed her former contact because if he wasn't already dead, she'd sure as hell make him wish he was! She hoped Gung Ho was okay. She wasn't so sure she'd be. Zartan already knew she was here, obviously, and she had nothing to defend herself with. She flinched, knowing that Zartan would know that as well since she had requested hardware.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," Zartan taunted softly, knowing she was there somewhere, alone, defenseless.

He chuckled to himself. It hadn't taken much to get the information out of her contact, just some pieces of gold. He proved useful now and then. Zartan let him live just because of that fact.

Jaye cursed the abandoned building she had agreed to meet in. It was nothing but a death trap at this point. If she showed herself, Zartan would have her. If she didn't, he'd hunt her down until he did. Either way, it was not a winning situation for her. She looked over to where one of the windows showed the fading sunlight. It was too far to jump out of without possibly breaking something. While she had once struggled two miles with a broken ankle, it wasn't something she desired to go through again.

She wished for her javelins. She would at least have one trick up her sleeve, as well as a weapon, to defend herself. Better to be offense than defense, she decided, and waited for Zartan to get closer.

"It's past time," Duke grumbled to himself, glancing at his watch. He hated leaving without her, but what could they do? They needed to get Gung Ho's leg seen to. Lifeline had radioed and told him the infection, while not life threatening, was pretty bad and he needed to be transported to headquarters.

He tried to reassure himself that she could take care of herself. After all, this is what she was trained in. He had no doubts in her abilities, but still, he worried about her. He didn't know how to make contact with her, much less where she would be at this point. The trail she had left so far hadn't been too hard to follow if one knew her, but he was at a dead end.

Duke ran his hand through his hair, sighing. He didn't want to leave the rendezvous point, but knew at this point, she might not be coming at all. He had no clue what they would tell Flint. His second in command would be livid, he knew, and highly irrational. He wasn't sure what he could do about that, other than force leave on him to get himself together. But knowing Flint, he would fly to Greece and try to find her and possibly even jeopardize whatever cover she had.

Taking one last look around the square in the few minutes of sunlight that were left, Duke placed a call.


	14. Chapter 14

Jaye grimaced as she dug the bullet out of her arm. She had broken into a clinic and was helping herself to their supplies. She had no choice. Getting away from Zartan had been, pure and simple, dumb luck. She would love to say it was all skill, but knew it wasn't so. She had struck out at Zartan, hitting him from below, knocking him on his ass. The last few rays of sunlight had done their work and had immobilized him for the moment she needed to get away. He had shot at her as she had escaped out of the building, but managed to elude him somehow through the maze of alleyways and streets. Her mind had been searching the map she had in her head of the town to locate a clinic. Fortunately, it had been closed, as she had hoped, and she was able to pick the lock to gain access.

She finished by wrapping her upper arm with a bandage, which she hid under the sleeve of her blouse. Looking through the small pharmacy, she found an antibiotic she was familiar with and grabbed a small bottle of it, swallowing two pills without water. She cleaned up after herself and slipped out the back door. She knew Zartan would start searching clinics and hospitals, knowing he had hit her, and she had chosen one as far from the scene as possible.

She slipped into the night. Figuring Gung Ho would have found the American Embassy by now, she still went by the square where he was to meet her, just in case. It was empty, as she had thought it would be. She had no more friends in this town and needed to find a way to get home. Since Zartan would be hunting her, she knew she also needed to change her appearance.

With no money and no contacts, Jaye had to rely on her ingenuity. She just hoped it would save her life.

_Later_ _that Evening_…..

The group of prostitutes giggled as they eyed the men emerging from the bars. It was late and too often, the drunken men would want some companionship. They prominently displayed their "wares," and hoped to find someone who was buying.

It was a slow night, so one suggested to her friends they should go into the bar and get some free drinks. They sauntered into the bar and each found their target. Soon, they were leaving, hanging on to their choice for the evening.

Jaye entered the cheap motel room with her target. She had made sure to choose one who was just about falling off his stool. He had been an easy mark and while she regretted what she was about to do, it was necessary in order for her to escape. She glanced at herself in the mirror in the bathroom and made a face. A woman with her lip pierced and nose ring looked back at her. She fingered her choppy black hair and glanced at the cleavage overflowing from the bustier she wore. Flint would have a fit – or be turned on, she smiled. Frowning, she wondered where that thought had come from. It had seemed years since she had left Amir's compound and even longer since she has seen Flint. She sighed, and decided to get it over with.

Exiting the bathroom, she saw her john still awake and waiting for her, naked, on the bed. He gestured to her and raised his hips suggestively. She tried not to wince. Instead, she put a fake smile on her face and strutted over to him. Straddling him, her tight leather skirt riding up to her hips, she leaned down and kissed him.

Reaching over to the side of the bed, she murmured something about getting a condom. He closed his eyes in anticipation, and that's when she brought the towel bar she had been hiding behind her back down on his head, knocking him out. She jumped off of him and grabbed his pants, rummaging through until she found what she was looking for. She felt bad for what she had to do, she really did, but this was survival. As she suspected, he had a stack of Euros in his wallet. She bypassed the credit cards and glanced at his ID. She tossed it aside, knowing it wouldn't work for her. Pity. She'd have to find another way to get out of the country.

She doubted Zartan would suspect her in this getup. Prostitutes were rarely scrutinized and people tended to not be able to describe their appearances too well, not wanting to admit they had looked at one closely. At least, no self respecting person would report being robbed by one to the authorities. It was the same in every country, she knew.

She left the motel and sauntered down the street, keeping in character. She wished she could've found an American military unit that she could've convinced to let her use their communication devices, but no such luck. Where are the Shipwrecks of the world, she groaned to herself. If you find a seedy bar, it was a good chance he would be there!

She repeated the procedure several times that night until dawn. By then, she had enough money to book a passage to Italy and procure fake documents to help her leave the country. She sent a silent apology to the men she had stolen from, but then shrugged it off. It was the risk they took. It wasn't good to dwell on the black and white areas at this point. Her main goal was to get home in one piece. She popped two more pills into her mouth when she felt the twinge in her arm. Her leather jacket covered the wound, as well as the provocative bustier. She had "borrowed" leather pants from one of her victims who had been about her size. They were a bit baggy, but they were more conservative for the daytime. She had folded the skirt and put it in the leather bag she had procured the night before in a bet made by one of her new "friends."

Jaye had to admit she was enjoying her new appearance. Between the goth hooker chick look she had achieved, as well as the tattoos she had drawn on her arms, it helped people keep their distance. She had booked passage on a small boat traveling to an Italian port. She had bribed the custom official with several of the Euros as well as a peek at her chest. Men were so dumb, she thought, and easily bought. The man hadn't even touched her, like she was worried he would, just stared. Sad sack of shit, she thought sympathetically.

She realized her attitude was matching that of her appearance and grinned. It was just like her to get immersed in a role, down to the very personality.

Finally they reached the Italian shore. Because it was a small port, no one bothered to check for papers, so she sauntered off the ship into the small town. With the last of her money, she bought a motorbike which she would drive as far as she could go until it broke down. Fortunately, it was a little farther than she anticipated, and she was only stranded 2 miles from the next town. She made sure she hadn't been followed and was feeling pretty confident about getting home. If she could stay downwind of Zartan and find a way to communicate to the base, she'd hopefully find a way home.


	15. Chapter 15

Zartan realized he had come to a dead end. She had obviously been anticipating him following her and had left a couple false leads. It just made the game more interesting, he thought, smiling. He finally had to guess she had made her way across to Italy on the ferry. He'd have to wait until the next day or call in a few favors to get across. Her contact here was useless and he doubted she had another, but Italy was a safer bet. She would not be making her way north of Greece due to the unrest in some of the countries. No, Italy by far was the safer choice.

He knew she would probably stick to the larger towns where she could get lost in the crowd. The smaller villages would pick up on a stranger instantly, and she would be most vulnerable there. He picked up his phone to call for transportation and a new price. Since this was proving more complicated than anticipated, he would require a larger fee. Of course, even if Cobra didn't pay the price he wanted, he thought he might just continue the chase anyway. It was getting quite interesting, he smirked.

* * *

><p>Lady Jaye found a group to blend in with in the next town. Although the crowd was younger than her, they all had the basic same look and accepted her without any question. She adopted the attitude of the crowd and followed them into a café. She slumped in her chair and got to know some of her new friends. She spoke Italian fluently and there was no reason for them to suspect she was anything otherwise. Funny thing, she thought, they were into talking "English," especially English cuss words. It seemed to be hilarious to them. She let them teach her a few and tried them out slowly, pretending to get the feel of the words. She must have been pretty convincing, because one of the guys clapped her on the back and told her she'd get it eventually, that not everyone could grasp the English language.<p>

That gave her an idea. She turned to the guy next to her, Franco, who had been flirting shamelessly with her ever since she joined the group, and asked if he had a cell phone. She told him she wanted to play a prank on her sister. Franco grinned, ready for a good time. Jaye took his phone and dialed a number. She handed the phone back to Franco after telling him what to say.

Back at GI Joe Headquarters, the phone in the communications room began to ring. Scarlett, Breaker, and Flint were in the room, going over schematics on the latest mission. They froze when the phone rang. It was a private line that was only used by the Joe team. Breaker answered, putting it on speakerphone.

"Scarlett. I need speak to Scarlett," they heard a heavily accented voice say in English.

"Scarlett here," she answered, looking at Breaker and shrugging her shoulders.

There was some laughing and giggling in the background before the voice continued. "Scarlett. Sister say you need to cook better. Try out new pizza dish," he paused, and they could hear him asking someone something, this time not in English. The male voice returned. "Sister say you wait too long, you burn pizza! You make the largest square pizza!" he laughed. There was some more murmurings in the background before there was a disconnect.

"What the hell?" began Flint. "Breaker, were you able to trace the call?"

"It was a cell phone, but that's all I can tell you. We use this line so its callers are untraceable. It's a line that only Joes are supposed to know about," he sighed.

Scarlett was still standing there, staring at the phone receiver she held. She turned to Flint. "I need an extraction team. The sooner we leave, the better! Contact Duke and let him know what's going on," she ordered.

Looking at the two men's confused faces, she rolled her eyes. "One, I don't have a sister. Two, Lady Jaye is in Naples, or at least on her way. She obviously had someone call the message in. She may have been sitting right there. If she's not contacting us directly, it means she's in trouble. Big trouble. As in, she can't get out without help. Are you boys following me?" she asked sarcastically at their stunned faces.

"How did you get all that from a couple sentences on a crazy phone call?" Breaker asked, confused.

Flint narrowed his eyes. "If she was sitting right there, why didn't she speak up? Why hasn't she gone to the American Embassy if she's in Italy?"

Scarlett glared at him. "We're wasting precious time! She's obviously being followed and can't blow her cover! I guess this is why I work in intelligence," she muttered.


	16. Chapter 16

The group was still laughing about the phone call. She had told them some story about her sister being a renowned chef and how disappointed she was in her for being what she was. What was it about stories of rebellion that never seemed to die, no matter what time period? Jaye chuckled to herself. Of course the group had bought it hook, line, and sinker.

One of the female members, Desparo, spoke up and laughingly joked they should all take a trip for pizza in Naples. Jaye smiled as she manipulated the group into thinking that a road trip to Naples was in order for the day. She had been more vulnerable traveling alone, but in a group like this, Zartan would hardly think to look twice at them. She doubted the false leads in Greece had kept him occupied for too long. He was good at what he did and very resourceful. For him, it was probably all just a game that had a monetary prize at the end. She'd rather not think about what he might to do to her before he turned her over to Cobra.

Climbing into the battered minibus Franco had, the group discussed what to do while in Naples, what clubs to hit, and what bars to slam. Jaye leaned back and closed her eyes, letting the conversations wash over her. She was exhausted and now that she finally felt more secure, she knew she'd better get some sleep. She had been up for over 36 hours and it was taking its toll.

She was jostled awake by the loud voices around her and the minibus pitching from side to side. Her head was on one of the guy's shoulders and he grinned down at her.

"Where are we?" Jaye asked gruffly in Italian.

"Bella, we are in Naples!" he said, flourishing his arm. "The others just got out and decided to give you a wake up call," he laughed as the minibus was pitched back and forth again. She heard Franco call out in Italian about his shocks.

Jaye laughed and climbed from the minibus and stared around her, trying to get her bearings. It had been too long since she had been in Naples, and while much had changed, little had at the same time. The group trouped off to the nearest bar and Jaye decided to stay with them a little longer. She had no clue how long it would take the Joe extraction team to meet her and she hoped Scarlett had gotten the cryptic message correct.

She went to the bathroom with Despara and a few of the other girls to touch up her makeup and brush her hair. Despara commented on her tattoos and Jaye laughingly told her they were homemade. Despara was impressed and showed Jaye a Celtic ring she had on her arm. She leaned over and drew a design on Jaye's cheek.

"There," she said, leaning back and looking at her work. "Now you look much better and ready to go to the clubs," she said, looking back in the mirror and touching up her black lipstick.

Jaye looked at the design and smiled. She thanked Despara, thinking that the Joe team would never recognize her. Hopefully, Zartan wouldn't either if he had tracked her this far. She swapped her pants for her mini since they were about to hit the club.

Despara and Franco flanked Jaye as they walked to the new club they had been talking about. Jaye kept a lookout for any familiar faces. She knew she probably should have been clearer on the message, but Franco's grasp of English wasn't great and she didn't want to raise the suspicion of the group. They thought it was just a prank, having no clue it meant life or death for their new friend.

She knew at some point, she'd have to separate from the group. There was no way the Joe team would contact her and she doubted they'd be using Franco's phone. Scarlett knew better than that.

The interior of the club was hot and after awhile, Jaye motioned to Franco she was going to get some air. She slipped from the club and walked across the street. She leaned against the wall in the shadow of the doorway of a closed shop and watched the club, thinking. She had to make it to the Piazza del Plebiscito, where she hoped Scarlett and team would be waiting. She also had to make sure it was clear for her as well, so she decided to keep her disguise for now. She regretted leaving her new friends after their help without so much as a goodbye, but she needed to get going.

She wandered to the center of the city, not too far from the club, to the piazza. She adopted a confident strut that suited her appearance. Reaching the piazza, she glanced around. Even at night, there were still tourists mingling with locals. She casually glanced around, like she was looking for a friend. She was looking for a redhead among the dark haired, olive skinned natives, but wasn't having much luck. Maybe they weren't here yet, or maybe her message to Scarlett hadn't been that clear. She would give them 30 minutes and then move on. She was afraid if she stayed too long, she would be discovered by the wrong people. Already, she had several looks, some inviting, others downright rude, about her appearance. She had waved off a few offers from men and moved to another area, away from them.

Suddenly, she spotted something familiar. She didn't want to be excited, but she could swear it was a beret. She sauntered up to the figure, who had his back to her.


	17. Chapter 17

Flint turned and spotted the woman in front of him. A common prostitute, most likely, he thought, taking in her thigh high boots, leather mini, leather jacket, and bustier. She murmured something to him in Italian and he said the only Italian he knew, "Non capisco. I don't understand," he repeated again, this time in English.

"Ah, you are American," Jaye purred in heavily accented English. "You looking for someone?"

Flint gave a polite smile. "Yes, and she would kill me if she saw me talking with you, no offense."

Jaye smiled wider. "Of course. You let me know if you need me. I am Bella, but some call me Bird. I will be over there," she said, pointing to one of the statues of a lion. She sauntered off, smiling, wondering if he'd get it. She had hoped for Scarlett, but couldn't help having a little fun at Flint's expense. That, and she had to make sure it _was_ Flint, and not Zartan in disguise. It would be like him to manipulate her relationship with Flint to his advantage.

"Have you made contact?" Flint's com link buzzed, Scarlett's voice sounding impatient.

"Other than a woman named Bella, or Bird…not sure what it was….nothing on this end. How are you doing?"

"Wait, someone came up and talked to you?" Scarlett closed her eyes and counted to 10 silently. "Stay right there!" she ordered.

She knew bringing him on this was risky and Duke would have a fit, but she had felt bad for the guy. He just simply didn't have the experience to work with intelligence on an extraction. "What did she look like? Did she say anything more?" she asked, facing him.

Flint shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I was being propositioned, so I just let it go. She spoke a little English, but not very well."

"Where did she say she'd wait for you?" Scarlett asked, her teeth clenched.

"What's the deal?" asked Flint, confused. He looked over at the lion statue and couldn't see the woman, Bella. "That wasn't Jaye. I'd know her anywhere and that definitely wasn't her. I don't even know if she's still over there," he said, nodding to the lion statue.

Scarlett walked casually over to the area, playing the role of tourist. A woman that might fit Flint's description was looking bored as she surveyed the crowd. A man came up to her and she gave a low chuckle, winking at him and murmuring something in Italian. The man walked away, his disappointment clearly showing on his face.

Scarlett wandered up to the woman and asked her in Italian, "Avete il tempo? Do you have the time?" she repeated in English. The woman smiled and gave the standard answer. "Nove. Nine o'clock. Do you have my exit pass?" she asked. Her voice was low and heavily accented. 


	18. Chapter 18

Scarlett was amazed at Lady Jaye's appearance. "Nice job," she murmured, checking her out. "I'm going to send Flint over and have you escort him to the other side, where we have a vehicle waiting. We'll take it from there. I'm going to tell Flint you're an informant so he doesn't overreact, ok?" Jaye nodded, understanding completely. The precautions might be unnecessary, but she'd rather take it slowly and having Flint with her as backup would help her chances in case Zartan had tracked her here. She had stayed one step ahead of him so far, and she hoped her luck hadn't run out.

The other side of the piazza looked so far away. Already it was starting to empty and she felt vulnerable. She glanced at Scarlett as she looked down, knowing she was communicating with Flint. Jaye decided to do a real show of it and, hips swinging, sauntered over to Flint. She placed a hand on his cheek and said in a low, husky voice, "I see you changed your mind."

Flint shifted uncomfortably. "Let's just go," he said, disappointed they had yet another obstacle to find Lady Jaye. He didn't know what to think of the woman next to him. Jaye had to be in pretty deep if this was the company she was keeping. He just hoped she was okay.

"You worry about your friend?" asked Bella. "She be all right, don't you worry," she chuckled. "I think you don't like me, no?"

Flint wondered why this walk was taking so god awful long. He didn't want to be rude, so he just shrugged, not sure what to say.

"Too bad," she said in that sexy, accented voice. "We could have fun, you and me."

"Look, Bella," Flint said, trying not to attract attention to the two, "no offense, but you're not my type."

"Ah, your lady friend you seek. Yes, you must love her very much to resist my charms," she teased.

"I do," Flint confessed, "and I'm pretty worried about her."

"I sense you have love trouble? It's the Italian blood, we are all lovers," Bella explained with a shrug at Flint's sharp look. "You have fight?"

"Ah, here we are," Flint said, relieved to see the Hummer ahead. "You'll take us to her?"

Bella gave a mysterious smile. "Don't you worry," she said, patting Flint's cheek again. "We will take care of things."

He opened the passenger door and she got in. Scarlett was already at the wheel and Flint got in the back. She drove to an Italian military airbase, ignoring the questioning look she was getting in the rearview mirror from Flint.

Jaye enjoyed the 30 minute ride and settled back in her seat, fully able to relax for the first time in a long while. She had been gone a month, she realized, between the mission with Amir and being on the run. It seemed years ago that the plane was attacked. She assumed Roadblock and Gung Ho were okay since Scarlett had not mentioned them.

She opened her eyes and looked at Scarlett. "No tail?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

Scarlett shook her head and flipped open the glove compartment. Jaye took the bottle of water in there and drunk greedily. "Grazie."

She looked behind her and flashed Flint a smile, who looked away. "You want some?" she asked, holding the bottle of water up.

He shook his head and continued to stare stubbornly out the window. Scarlett flashed her military ID at the guardhouse and Jaye saw a welcome site. A U.S. military airplane sat on the tarmac. She genuinely smiled for the first time in hours.

"Thank god," she murmured, reaching for the handle as the Hummer stopped.

Scarlett got out and looked at the plane, then at Jaye. "You're not home yet," she warned her.

Jaye smiled and looked at Flint, who was studying her carefully in the harsh lights of the runway. "You ready, Flint?" she asked in her normal voice and laughed when he staggered backwards. Scarlett had to look away, trying not to laugh too hard.

"Sorry, Flint," she said breathlessly when she turned back around. "We couldn't have you compromising her cover."

"I…you…holy shit!" Flint sputtered out, looking at her.

Jaye laughed. "Surprised? And you doubted my skill," she teased.

"About that," Flint said, looking embarrassed.

"Later," Jaye promised and turned to Scarlett. "What do we have to do to get out of here?"

Scarlett nodded. "We have to get you through the authorities, to make sure we're not kidnapping an Italian citizen," she said dryly, "and then we can leave. It looks like some of your welcoming party is making their appearance, though," she said, gesturing at the plane.

Jaye turned around and saw Gung Ho and Roadblock coming towards them.

"I couldn't keep them away," Scarlett confessed, "especially Gung Ho. He felt like he let you down."

Jaye smiled and hugged both her teammates when they reached her. They looked surprised, but took her appearance in stride. "You changed clothes," observed Gung Ho, looking at her outfit. Jaye grinned.


	19. Chapter 19

Once she was cleared, they were in the air and heading home. Knowing the debriefing was going to be long, Jaye decided to get some sleep before facing Duke and Hawk. She curled up in one of the chairs and drifted off.

"What the hell is that stuff all over her face?" Flint asked Scarlett, watching the sleeping Jaye. "And who the hell is she supposed to be in that getup? She'll need to shower and change once we get back to base. Do you think you could get her back to your apartment…"

"Flint," Scarlett put a hand on his shoulder. "Enough. We don't know what she's been through. She survived, though, and got back to us alive. Be grateful for that."

Flint was silent, not sure what to say. Scarlett was right. So some of the guys will see her in this getup, he winced. She was sexy as hell, in a dark-looking way, but it didn't mean he wanted the others to see her that way!

Soon they were back on base. Flint was grateful they arrived in the middle of the night and few saw Jaye dressed as she was.

The nap had done her good, and she was anxious to take a shower and get back to her own self.

"Flint, I don't need a personal escort," she commented as she saw he meant to follow her to her door.

"Just want to make sure you're okay," he confessed. "Do you want me to wait around…"

"I'm fine," she said, squeezing his arm. She leaned up and gave him a soft kiss. "I need to get back to myself before meeting with Duke later. I promise that you and I will have time to talk, just not now."

He was disappointed, but understood. Scarlett followed her in and shut the door firmly behind them.

Once she showered, Jaye felt much better. She used her special shampoo to wash out color and watched the water run black at the base of the shower. She flinched when the warm water hit her upper arm where she had been shot, and told herself she had to go see Lifeline before seeing Duke to have it properly taken care of.

"Now you're looking more like you," Scarlett commented when Jaye came into their common living area. "I thought Flint was going to have a stroke when he realized it was you!" she smiled.

Jaye went up and hugged Scarlett. "Thanks," she whispered, "for everything. For getting the message, understanding it, and being there. I may not have made it without you."

Scarlett looked embarrassed. "Just doing my job. Interesting message. Who was that?"

Jaye laughed. "Franco. Don't ask! You'll hear about it soon enough."

"Ready to go?" asked Scarlett.

Jaye sighed. "I need to go see Lifeline first about something, but then I'll be there. Let Duke know, ok? You know he'd have a coronary if I didn'thave Lifeline check me out first."

"Sure," Scarlett said, puzzled. She knew how much Jaye hated the infirmary and wondered why she wasn't waiting until Duke ordered it. Had she gotten hurt? She studied her friend, but didn't see any noticeable injuries. She shrugged. "Okay, I'll let him know. See you there."

Scarlett left first and Jaye, after checking her appearance one more time, making sure all the makeup and tattoos were gone, went in the direction of the infirmary. Needless to say, Lifeline was speechless when he looked up from the article he was reading and saw Lady Jaye standing there.

She sighed, noting his look. Was she really that bad? She thought about it. Yeah, she was. "I have something I need you to look at."

She pulled up her sleeve and unwrapped the bandage. Lifeline sucked in some air. "Gunshot. Who got it out?"

"I did. Had to break into a clinic and borrow some things." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the bottle of antibiotics, now empty. "Also had to borrow these. Didn't want it infected since I wasn't sure where I'd be."

He nodded. "A good choice, considering. Unfortunately, I think it wasn't as effective as you thought. I'm going to need to give you a shot of stronger antibiotics, then it shouldn't be bothering you anymore and will heal up nicely. Is it giving you any trouble?"

"Not really," she replied, "but then again, I've had other things to dwell on." She let him give her the shot and then made her way to Duke's office.

Duke looked up as she entered. It was around 6am and he was already at work. Probably worked most of the night, she figured, studying his face. "We're meeting with Hawk in the conference room," Duke stated. "Flint, Scarlett, Gung Ho, and Roadblock will also be there to give their part. You ready?"

She nodded. He stood up and walked around his desk. "Glad you're back safe," he said softly and surprised her by giving her a hug.

"Thanks," she murmured, embarrassed, following him to the conference room. Flint smiled at her as she entered, relieved she looked more like his Alison than whoever she had been before.

They started with Roadblock, and then Gung Ho's account of what had gone down. Jaye was relieved they had found Gung Ho in Greece where she had left him and that no harm had come to him. She gave her story, starting at the time she met up with Zartan, omitting her gunshot wound, touched on her new Italian friends, and ended at the Square.

She was a little embarrassed by their scrutiny. Hawk was the first to speak. "Lady Jaye," he said softly, "I can honestly say that I am proud that you are a member of our team. I don't know how you do it.." he trailed off.

Jaye shrugged. "Just doing my job," she said simply.

Duke cleared his throat and stood. "Still on the board, though, Lady Jaye, is the Sheik's offer. While he said to tell you that he sends his deepest apologies for the attack, he wants to let you know that his offer still stands." Lady Jaye couldn't meet Flint's eyes. Who knows what he was thinking at this point!

She smiled at Duke. "Tell the Sheik thank you, that I am most honored and humbled by his offer, but that I have decided to remain where I am now." Duke nodded, a look of relief passing across his face.

After the meeting, Scarlett went over to Duke. "What was that about?" she asked.

Duke shrugged. "She was offered head of security at his compound."

Scarlett looked at Duke like there was more to the story, but he remained silent. She knew she'd get it out of him sooner or later, if she wanted to.

Flint walked Lady Jaye back to her quarters.

"You didn't tell me…" he began, but she interrupted him.

"It's nothing. He wanted me to be his head of security, that's all." She shrugged. "I wasn't quite cut out for desert life," she quipped.

He smiled at her. "What _are_ you cut out for, then?"

She glanced coyly at him. "Don't you already know?"

She had missed him. They still needed to have that talk about their relationship, but for now, they had the matter of her welcome home party…for two. The talk could wait, for now.


End file.
